


Moon-Sea Duet Waltz

by stellarumsalve



Series: To the Moon Oneshots [3]
Category: To the Moon Series (Video Games)
Genre: Angst with a sad ending, Dancing, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Mostly Fluff, Some angst, They are just cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:42:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25095559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellarumsalve/pseuds/stellarumsalve
Summary: Eva & Neil explore the memory of Johnny and River’s dance at the lighthouse.
Relationships: Eva Rosalene/Neil Watts
Series: To the Moon Oneshots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1813657
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	Moon-Sea Duet Waltz

Eva Rosalene gazed at the horizon beyond the cliff. The sun fell slowly to meet the ocean in a blanket of light oranges and purples, shining its light in every direction. A tall lighthouse stood against it, casting a faint shadow on the ground over two young adults. They were Johnny and River Wyles, leaning against the walls of the lighthouse and talking to each other, smiling. The golden rings on their fingers caught the light of the sunset. Eva smiled too. She firmly believed that life was made up of the moments we hold onto, no matter how small. Life was meant to be lived moment to moment. And the moment being lived right now was absolutely divine. She closed her eyes. The sound of the waves crashing, the faint music of the wedding party, the gentle words exchanged between the newlyweds... Nothing could disrupt it... except maybe—

“Yo Eva, do you think I can do a backflip off of this?” Neil Watts. Eva groaned and turned around to see her partner crouched before the edge of the cliff. “It would look super cool, don’t you think?”

“I thought you were afraid of heights,” she said, crossing her arms. Here we go.

“Yeah, but I’m not afraid of awesome backflips, OB-viously.” He bent his knees, preparing for a sick one. “Ooh, this is gonna be a sick one, Eva! Don’t miss it! Here I go!!” But right before he could kick off, his shoe slipped on a rock, and he lost balance. 

Neil flailed his arms and yelped, “E-Eva!! Help!! I’m fall—“ In a second, he was teleported right next to his partner. “—ing.” One of his flailing arms had slapped the remote control right out of Eva’s hand. She rolled her eyes and turned back to the lighthouse.

“Come on, we have a memory to analyze.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He stuck his tongue out at her before grabbing the remote off the ground.

As they walked, Neil stuck his hands in his coat pockets and looked at the lighthouse. For some odd reason, the couple had named it Anya. He yawned. Honestly, why did these geezers always have to be so weird? He huffed and gazed at the horizon instead. By now it was twilight, and the golden light had faded. The sky was stained a reddish purple, and the faint full moon began to rise. No stars yet, just the strange inbetween of day and night. When he finally caught up to Eva, who had been walking faster than him, he noticed that the two had gone inside the lighthouse.

“Where are they off to?” Neil asked, placing a hand on his chin, detective style.

“Johnny mentioned that he wanted to show River something,” Eva replied. “I can only assume that they’re going to the top.”

“The top?” He scoffed. “That’s way too high. I’m not walking up all those stairs again.” He thought of how Sarah and Tommy had dragged him up there before they entered the machine, and how thousands of eerie paper rabbits sat before him. “Nooo thank you.”

Eva frowned. “Really, Neil, it’s not that bad. It should only take—“ She glared at him. “Wait, did you say ‘again?’ You didn’t go up there earlier, did you?” Neil adjusted his glasses in lieu of a response. “Are—Did you seriously sneak into their lighthouse without permi—“

“Hey, look at what I got!” he said suddenly, holding the teleportation controls. A mischievous smile appeared on his face. “Gee, I wonder what this would do. Oops my finger slipped, here we go!” Neil pressed the button.

“What the— Hey!!”

Before Eva could argue, they were transported to the top room of the lighthouse. 

“Ah, the beauty of technology,” Neil sighed and handed the remote back to his partner. “Thanks, Eves.”

“I—You know what, nevermind.” Eva sighed and put it away.

They redirected their focus to the couple in front of them. Johnny and River were slowly, yet awkwardly, waltzing. They giggled every time their feet tripped over each other’s, shyly smiling all the while. Even though they couldn’t hear any music, they still danced about the little room as their shadows mirrored their movements. The moon rose higher, casting a silvery light through the glass. Eva delighted in every moment of it. The room was full of love, light, and warmth.

Neil pushed up his glasses indignantly. “Geez... All this for some girl. Honestly,” he glanced outside. “as if being up here wasn’t torture enough.” The couple continued to smile and waltz.

Eva kept her eyes on Johnny and River. Faintly, she managed to hear a song playing from the party below. It was slow and sweet. Maybe they could hear the music after all. “And what’s wrong with girls?” She chuckled teasingly. “What, is this scene too cheesy for you?”

“Indeed, it is,” he replied curtly. “It’s cheesier than the cheesiest Cheez-its, Eva.” He fidgeted with his gloves slightly. Sure, making jokes always took his mind off of things, but not when the thing in question was his crushing acrophobia. Neil looked back at the couple. Smiling and blushing and dancing. Blech. Too cheesy AND too sappy for his taste. Then he looked at Eva. She seemed to be enjoying their dancing much more than he was. He could just barely hear the music floating in from the wedding party. His partner, though she probably didn’t notice it, was swaying in time with the song. Well, at least someone’s happy here, he thought.

“Pfft. That pun wasn’t even good enough by your standards,” Eva grinned softly. Neil watched her close her eyes and bob her head to the slow waltz. It was kind of cute, in an endearing way. 

He crossed his arms. “Mhm,” he hummed and avoided looking out the window. “When are we getting out of here again?”

Eva nudged his arm. “Well lucky for you, I’ve got the last memory link.” She pulled out the remote control. “Ready when you are.”

“Always ready for you, Eves,” Neil smirked, closing his eyes.

She sighed and pushed the button. What a moron.

In an instant, they were out of the room. Neil felt a rush of relief as the night breeze swept through his hair. Finally, to not be at the top of a death spike. His relief was short lived, though, when he opened his eyes and saw that his feet were not on the soft grass, but instead...

“WHY ARE WE AT THE TOP OF THE LIGHTHOUSE!?!?” Neil shrieked, scrambling away from the edge of the roof. His foot caught on a tile and he landed ungraciously at Eva’s feet. “EVA!! THIS IS NOT THE BOTTOM OF THE TOWER!!”

“What happened to you being ‘always ready!?’” she yelled back, fidgeting with the remote. “These stupid controls, I swear...” 

“I-I _am_ always ready!! Just not for FREAKIN’ heights!!!” Her partner rebutted, still scooting farther from the drop.

She reached an arm out to her panicking partner while still examining the remote. Seemed like the teleportation preset was changed. “C’mon, get up. It’s not that bad. Just let me readjust the coordinates and we’ll be fine.” After a few seconds, she noticed that Neil hadn’t gotten up yet. He’d gone quiet, too. Eva looked down to find that he was stuck staring at the height beneath them. She couldn’t make out the expression behind his glasses. Was he really that scared?

Eva sighed, “Neil, come on, it’s not that bad. Even if you slip, it’s not like you’ll die or anything.” She tugged on his coat collar. No response.

“...Neil?” She grabbed his shoulder and tugged him harder. “Hey, I’ll get it fixed in no time, so... so just get away from the edge, okay? Don’t look at it.” Despite her attempts, nothing could bring him away from looking down. She sighed and went back to fixing the controls. He was frozen in fear. Nothing could snap him out of it at this point. Or so she thought.

“Hey, Eva,” Neil muttered suddenly, eyes still transfixed on the ground. “You like dancing, don’t you?” He fidgeted with the fabric on his gloves. 

Eva stopped what she was doing and glanced down again. Though he was slightly shaking, he still hadn’t looked away. She furrowed her brow. “Y...Yeah, I guess I do? But why is that important now?” She began to set the new coordinates. This time, for the _bottom_ of the lighthouse. “There’s time to discuss that later. Let’s focus on getting down first.”

Neil’s eyes were hidden by the reflection of the moon in his lenses. “In the room... you were watching Johnny and River dance.” He pushed up his glasses. “Does it... does it calm you down?” He mumbled, his hand trembling. _Worth a shot, right?_ He heard a slight rustling beside him. _Ah... She’s preparing to get back down. I guess we’ll just teleport to the bottom. Maybe that’s better, after all._

“It does, actually,” came the unexpected reply. The remote had been stowed in Eva’s coat pocket, and her free hand was outstretched to her partner. “Is that what you wanted? A dance?” She scoffed gently. “Honestly, Neil, there are better ways of asking than tampering with a teleportation device.”

The gloved hand took hers hesitantly. He pouted. “Who ever said I tampered with it?” 

“Heh, gotcha. I figured you were acting when we teleported to the top of the roof,” Eva grinned.

When his shoes slipped on the tiles this time, his partner caught him before he could fall. As he stood up cautiously, her arms steadied him. Neil’s legs shook slightly, and his breathing hadn’t gotten any less irregular, but he felt a little less afraid. His hand gripped the other’s with a fearful tension, but she didn’t falter for a second. Eva’s soft voice drifted through the silence.

“Hey... It’s okay,” it said. “I’ve got you.” And for the first time in a long while, Neil felt like he was safe. He kept his gaze trained on her, not the ground, and he smiled. Weakly, and half-heartedly, but he smiled. Eva smiled back and placed his other hand on her shoulder. Neil paused and narrowed his eyes.

“You’re not doing what I think you’re doing, are you?” He inquired with a pout.

“Oh, but I am.” Eva’s hand slipped to his waist. He jerked a little and looked unamused.

“Listen, I’ve been to at least one school dance, Eva. You can’t fool me. Pretty sure _I’m_ the guy here, so _I_ should be leading.” He nudged teasingly.

“First of all, you skipped all our school dances. Second, I doubt you even know how to lead,” Eva giggled as she took Neil’s free hand in hers and began to step slowly about the sloped roof. “And third... does it really matter if you’re the guy?”

Neil’s breath hitched as they started to dance along the uneven tiles, but he tried to pay it no mind. Instead he looked at Eva. Her face was illuminated by the silver moonlight, and her hair flowed lightly in the breeze. His heart ached. She looked lovely. Breathtaking, even. _Step, step._ Their awkward waltz continued. Neil desperately tried to mirror Eva’s movements, but he would more often than not trip over her. She would simply chuckle. Yes, she _was_ lovely. He’d never say that out loud, of course. It wasn’t worth getting ridiculed. They were friends. Business partners. Co-workers. He wasn’t about to ruin that. And yet... Would it be so bad? 

“That’s right, just follow my lead, Neil. It’s not so hard, is it?” Eva’s voice brought him out of his wandering thoughts. 

“No... no, I guess it’s not,” he muttered, still half-dreaming. 

Eva tilted her head. “What are you looking at?”

It was then that Neil realized that it seemed like he was staring at her (which he totally wasn’t.) “Hm?” He mirrored her head tilt.

“You’re looking at something. I think. Although I’m not sure exactly what because of your dumb glasses...” She frowned and noticed him fidget with his hand a little. Eva stared at her reflection in his glasses. “Are you... are you looking at m—“

“Mmm—oon. The moon,” Neil blurted out. “I-I’m looking at the moon. Yeah.” He gulped. _Nice save. She’ll never know._

“Neil.”

“Eva.”

“The moon is behind you.”

“...Ah. So it is.”

Eva snorted. “You dork.” She led the both of them at a quicker pace around the roof, smiling wider. “But it’s still lovely, isn’t it, Neil?” she sighed, disregarding the clumsy feet stepping on her own. The sea glittered, reflecting the image of the moon on its surface. The light of the stars were caught by the waves too, creating a beautiful duet of the moon and the ocean. Unfortunately, Neil was too busy trying not to die to hear her question, nor drink in the beautiful scenery.

“H-hey, you’re going a bit fast, Eva, I can’t keep up—“

“Am not!” She smirked. “I think, in fact...” Her eyes lit up. “I should _spin_ you!”

Neil’s voice cracked. “ _Spin!?_ ”

“Yes, spin! Now just let go of my shoulder, and...” She slipped his hand off and lifted her other arm above his head. “...spin!” Eva guided his arm in a spinning motion. Neil’s body had no other choice but to follow.

“Wh—WaaAaUghHhhhH eEevAaaAAA you can’t doOoo this to meEeEeeEEe!!” He shut his eyes tight and twirled reluctantly. He felt his shoe catch the edge of a tile, but he wasn’t sure if it was just a tile or the edge of the roof itself. _Good lord... the things I’d do for you are too much!_ Just as he felt he was about to fall, one of Eva’s arms caught his waist and held him tight. He sighed heavily, relieved, and opened his eyes. They were both staring straight at each other. Huh. Eva blinked.

“So, uh... still looking at the moon?” she said, dipping him over the edge. 

“...No, I don’t think I am.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder slowly. His green eyes pierced through his lenses straight to hers. _Now or never. Now or never._

“You’re... more breathtaking than the moon, Eva,” he said under his breath. Then, he pulled himself up to her lips, gently, closed his eyes—

And Eva, in her surprise, dropped him. Right off the lighthouse. Her fingers slipped and let go. Neil didn’t even make a sound as he fell. He hit the ground with a soft plop. Eva’s face turned bright crimson. _...#@!%. I just dropped my partner off a lighthouse._ She immediately rushed to the edge and called out, “Neil!? Neil!! Are you still there!? Neil, I’m sorry I dropped you, it’s just... H-Hold on! I’ll get down there soon!!” Without a second thought, she teleported to the bottom and saw Neil splayed out on the grass, panting, but strangely, smiling.

“Neil!” Eva yelled, rushing over to him. “Are you okay? Listen, I-I was just startled, I didn’t mean to drop you!” To her confusion, he simply lied there for a while, staring at the sky. Eva looked up. The full moon was in its height, and the stars twinkled around it. What did he say earlier about the moon? She was so wrapped up in worry that she could barely remember what he said to her before he fell.

Neil draped an arm over his forehead. “Haah... I thought I was gonna die... Hah...” His breathing was heavy, almost unhealthy. He grinned wider. “But... I would have been okay with it, since at least I... I...” Neil coughed and got up a little too quickly. He swayed a bit as he struggled to balance himself. Though Eva couldn’t see it, his eyes were dull and dark. He kept up his forced smile.

“Come on, then. No time to lose. Let’s go to the next memory.” Neil headed away briskly, brushing the dirt off of his coat. “...So we can get this over with as soon as humanly possible.” _And so that I can forget about it, too._ He coughed again, this time trying to suppress a fit. Eva furrowed her brow. He wasn’t acting like his usual self. Was he upset that she dropped him? Possibly. But he was also coughing quite a lot. That was certainly out of character. And what exactly did he say to her...?

“Neil, you...” _Oh, guac. Can’t stop myself now._ She called out without thinking. “You said something to me! Before you fell!” Neil was already well ahead of her. He didn’t bother to turn around, but he stopped. The light of the moon rested gently on his hair.

“Nothing. You probably just thought you heard something. I...” He hesitated. “I didn’t say anything.” And he continued to walk away. 

When Eva finally caught up to him, they went the rest of the way in silence. Only the faint sound of a waltz playing could be heard. Two lovers kept dancing in the lighthouse, and two partners kept pretending, in a dance of their own. 

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed this!! i cant believe ive written three stories already aahhsnfsjd


End file.
